Will January Auto Sales Set the Pace for 2013?

Auto sales in the United States are off to a good start in 2013, with the Big Three all reporting strong January results. Before diving in, Toyota (NYSE:TM) also released preliminary sales results of 157,725 for the month, up 26.6 percent. Toyota increased its U.S. market share from 12.9 percent in 2011 to 14.4 percent in 2012.

“There’s a sense of optimism among our dealers that only comes when you pair a growing economy with great new products,” said Kurt McNeil, GM vice president of U.S. sales and operation, in a statement. “We started to see the benefits in 2012 with vehicles like the Chevrolet Sonic, Cadillac ATS and Buick Verano. Now in 2013, we’re entering the sweet spot of our product plan in a growing economy.”

GM is entering 2013 having lost market share in 2012, down to 17.9 percent from 19.6 percent in 2011, when major competitors Toyota and Honda (NYSE:HMC) were largely knocked out of the game due to a devastating tsunami that hit Japan in March of that year.